Vail Daily column: The annual Christmas poem

’Tis the day before the night before Christmas

And throughout our great nation,

Billions of packages sit on trucks

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Quietly awaiting their final destination.

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But there’s much bigger problems

Like torture and racism,

That spread across borders

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Creating radicals and terrorism.

Should we torture, we ask,

If it saves one innocent life,

Or is our precious American image

Worth all of the strife?

Yet the economy is back

Gas is low, stocks are high,

Making it easier for many

To do more than “just get by.”

Sure, not for all

I’m not really naive,

But this is my poem

Feel free to write about your own pet peeve.

But who in the world

Believes gas will stay cheap,

Probably those who blame Obama

For a doctor they couldn’t keep.

And non-believers in climate change

Or if you prefer — global warming,

You’re doing the next generation a disservice

With some serious misinforming.

This really gets old

Our nonsensical reliance,

On refusing to grow

Using peer-reviewed science.

And to those loving religion

For which so many are willing to die,

May you soon come to your senses

Concerning a make-believe entity, hiding up in the sky.

And although we’ve been ashamed

Of American shootin’ and lootin,’

We don’t suck anywhere near

As a country run by a Putin.

And what is the point

Of this verbal diarrhea,

As if our entertainment is chosen

By a crazy nut from North Korea.

Who cares what they think

We know it’s probably terrible,

But it’s our choice to make

Even if the entire movie’s unbearable.

But enough of this stupidity

For there’s so many reasons,

To chuck it all aside

’Cuz it’s the holiday season!

Though much is a mess

And all seems in trouble,

We’re still safe and warm

In our Rocky Mountain bubble.

The snow is certainly falling

In big blankets of fluff,

And we’ll never ever, ever

Get enough of the stuff.

While you’re up on the mountain

Jumping cliffs with alert,

Take a moment of reflection

Remembering our first season, without Tony Seibert.

Or watch your kids ski

And think of the moolah,

If they can learn to ski as good as

Sarah, Lindsey or Mikaela.

Thus we can’t ignore the pros

The last thing they follow are scripts,

And in just four short weeks we’ll be having

The 2015 World Championships!

On a personal note

Thanks for helping me stay calm,

As this is the very first Christmas

Without my mom.

Yep, I had to get that in

For you guys supported me so much,

I’ll never forget the responses

It was just such a nice touch.

So although the world can be nasty

Full of evil and strife,

Never forget for us in the Vail Valley

It is indeed a wonderful life!

P.S.

Read it and weep

Try your best not to get sick,

Even though you just suffered your way through

The 15th crappy Christmas poem, by Dick.

Richard Carnes, of Edwards, writes weekly. He can be reached at poor@vail.net.